Wayfaring Roads
The Wayfaring Roads turn walking between places into an adventure. Things happen on the road, there are sights to find off it, and a gang of wreckers called the Lantern Men holds a camp with a false light that lures ships onto the rocks.
The first road is open: the Lamplit Road, from Pailhaven’s Frontier Gate east to the Ferry Landing and the Waystation, about 650 blocks of coast and forest.
The Lamplit Road
Section titled “The Lamplit Road”- Start: Pailhaven’s Frontier Gate. The Road Warden stands there.
- The Last Lamp: a roadside inn where the lamps end, with its own waystone and a full cast of inn folk to talk to.
- Quests: The Lamplit Road questline in
/questswalks you along it. - Journal:
/roadsshows how many discoveries you have found on each road and whether each camp is held or cleared.
Road encounters
Section titled “Road encounters”While you travel on a road, every so often something happens. What you meet depends on the stretch of road (lit, dark, coast) and the time of day.
| Encounter | What happens | Typical pay |
|---|---|---|
| Footpads | Lantern Men ambush you on a dark or coastal stretch. | $15,000 to $30,000 |
| Lamplighters | A night ambush led by lamp-carriers. | $20,000 to $40,000 |
| Broken axle | A cart lies on its side by the verge. Lend a hand. | $20,000 + a Road Token |
| Lost castaway | Escort someone safely along the road. | $20,000 + a Road Token |
| Washed crate | Salvage something the sea threw up. | $5,000 to $15,000 |
| Fog on the road | Night fog rolls in, with things inside it. | $15,000 to $30,000 |
| Watch patrol | Two of the Watch walk the road with you and share rumours: nearby discoveries, or which camp the Lantern Men still hold. | directions, not cash |
- Anyone within 24 blocks shares the encounter, so travel in a group.
- After an encounter you get a 6 minute break before the next can roll.
- Walk away (about 60 blocks) to leave a fight. Ambushers do not follow far.
- Nothing rolls in Pailhaven or around the Waystation.
Road Tokens are brass chits stamped with a lamp. Hang on to them: the Last Lamp takes them, so they say.
Discoveries
Section titled “Discoveries”Five places along the Lamplit Road count as discoveries. Walk up to one to log it. Each pays $10,000 from the Watch and 750 Wayfaring XP (Seamarks) the first time.
| Discovery | Hint |
|---|---|
| The Turning | An old gibbet where a trail leaves the road. |
| The Old Watch | A broken tower on the high ground north of the road. |
| The Lamp-Eater | A hole in the ground the inn folk will not talk about. |
| Whalefall | Great white bones on a beach below the road. |
| Bones’ Lookout | A bench above the cove where Bones came ashore. |
Gull Head: the Lantern Men’s camp
Section titled “Gull Head: the Lantern Men’s camp”Across the bay mouth from Pailhaven Light, a false light burns on Gull Head. That is the Lantern Men’s camp.
- Take the trail south from the Turning to the headland.
- When you arrive, the camp sees you. Two waves of Footpads, Wreckers and Lamplighters come up the cliff path.
- Their chief, Old Gil Lantern, steps out by the light cage. Bring him down.
- Clear the camp and the false light goes dark. A server message thanks everyone who fought.
Rewards: the Watch pays a $200,000 bounty, split by how much of the fighting you did (you need at least 2% to get a share). Fighters can open the Lantern Men’s Haul chest: lanterns, gold, iron, emeralds and a chance at rarer finds.
The Lantern Men do not stay gone. About 3 days after a clear, the light burns again and the camp is theirs once more.